The 2023 NFL season will be here before you know it, and teams are going to continue tinkering with their rosters before September’s kickoff.
The free agency cycle begins to start back up around this time of year, and there are an unusual number of quality pass rushers still out there for NFL teams to sign.
Does your team need some help on the defensive line? Well, one of these five pass rushers might do the trick to really help get after the quarterback.
We’ve picked five of the most intriguing pass rushers still without a home for 2023 and linked them to teams we feel they’d really help this season.
DE Yannick Ngakoue: Chicago Bears
Ngakoue is the most talented player available in NFL free agency right now, having posted 9.5 sacks with the Indianapolis Colts last season.
If the defensive end really wants to cash in on his talent before the season, he’d be smart to sign with the Chicago Bears and immediately slot in as a starter on the team’s defensive line.
The Bears desperately need a starting edge rusher of Ngakoue’s caliber to stay in the NFC North hunt, and Ngakoue could fill that gap immediately. Chicago could sign him to a two-year contract with an out after this season and keep him in the Windy City in 2024 if all goes well.
DE Jadeveon Clowney: Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens could use a veteran edge rusher ahead of the season, and Clowney feels like the exact type of experienced defensive lineman that Baltimore loves to sign around this time of year.
Clowney is what he is as a pass rusher at this point, but his run defense is still quite good as he enters his thirties. He’d provide enough pop in both the pass and run to justify the roster spot, and the Ravens could really lean on him later in the season since he’s done this plenty.
On a one-year contract worth, this deal makes a ton of sense for both sides.
OLB Justin Houston: Minnesota Vikings
If the Vikings want to really push for another NFC North title, the team might add a situational pass rusher like Houston to compliment guys like Danielle Hunter and Marcus Davenport on the outside.
Particularly if Davenport (who has a previous injury history) gets hurt at any point in the season, Houston would provide the kind of steadying pass rush that could really help Minnesota’s defense (especially if the playoffs are in sight).
Houston had 9.5 sacks for the Baltimore Ravens last year. It’s possible he could come close to that off the bench in Minnesota this fall.
OLB Melvin Ingram: Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks have a pretty good defense as it is, but the team could use some more depth in the pass rush. Ingram is a wily veteran who had six sacks with the Miami Dolphins last season and could still help a contending team.
Seattle feels like the perfect place for Ingram to come off the bench as a situational rusher and help the team keep pace in the NFC West.
Getting Ingram on the roster on a one-year deal would be a nice way to help this defense be even better than it already is.
DE Robert Quinn: Los Angeles Rams
Quinn might’ve had a quieter 2022 after his scorching 18.5-sack season in 2021, but he’s still a reliable piece for a defensive line.
What if Quinn went back to the team that drafted him in 2011? The Rams desperately need some veteran experience on the defensive line to compliment Aaron Donald. Signing Quinn could work wonders.
If they feel like they could contend this season, adding Quinn and letting him get meaningful snaps and help guide the younger pass rushers on the roster could be nice move this close to the season. Plus, Quinn could potentially close out his career where it all started if he calls it quits after 2023.
